The Algerian army periodically announces the arrest or killing of “terrorists”, a term given to armed Islamists who continued to operate in separate parts of the country despite the civil war (1992-2002), which was known as the “black decade” and resulted in 200,000 deaths, according to an official toll.
An Algerian army officer, with the rank of captain, was killed during an armed clash with a “terrorist group”, which took place on Wednesday in the state of Tissemsilt, southwest of the Algerian capital, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defense published Thursday.
“In the context of the relentless efforts made by our armed forces units in the field of combating terrorism and following a search and combing operation on May 10 in the Ain Kassiria area of Sidi Mesbah, affiliated to the municipality of Bordj Emir Abdelkader in the state of Tissemsilt (220 km southwest of Algeria), the statement reads. Detachments of the People’s National Army monitored a terrorist group and clashed with it, which led to the martyrdom of Captain Tanah Muhammad on the field of honor.
He added that during the operation, the terrorist group was “surrounded and surrounded, and its four members were arrested,” along with the seizure of “three Kalashnikov assault rifles, a Semenov semi-automatic rifle, a hand grenade, and quantities of ammunition.”
The statement of the Ministry of Defense stated that the outcome of this operation is added to “the outcome of the various operations carried out by detachments of the People’s National Army in the field of combating terrorism, which allowed the neutralization of a significant number of terrorists, whether by arresting them, surrendering themselves, or eliminating them.”
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who holds the position of Minister of National Defense, extended his condolences to al-Naqeeb’s family and his colleagues in the army, according to a statement by the presidency.
The Algerian army periodically announces the arrest or killing of “terrorists”, a term given to armed Islamists who continued to operate in separate parts of the country despite the civil war (1992-2002), which was known as the “black decade” and resulted in 200,000 deaths, according to an official toll.
Despite the implementation of the Charter for Peace and Reconciliation in 2005 and an end to violence, armed groups are still carrying out sporadic operations. At the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Defense announced the elimination of “39 terrorists” during the year 2022.
